SUDAN GRASS AND RELATED PLANTS. 



41 



In 1913 Sudan grass grown at the Arlington Experimental Farm, 

 Va., in mixtures with cowpeas, soy beans, and the bonavist bean 

 (Dolichos lablab) was analyzed with the results shown in Table VIII. 



UTILIZATION OF SUDAN GRASS. 



HAY. 



Sudan grass is essentially a hay crop, its slender leafy stems mak- 

 ing it easy to handle with the ordinary haying machinery. It yields 

 well in most parts of the United States, as shown by Tables II to V, 

 and the hay is relished by cattle, horses, and sheep. 



The feeding value of Sudan grass hay is practically equal to that 

 of millet, Johnson grass, timothy, and other nonlegume roughages. 

 This is shown both by chemical analyses and by practical feeding 

 tests. A statement of the percentages of the different food elements 

 in Sudan grass hay and other common hay and fodder crops is given 

 in Table IX. These percentages are given on a water-free basis, 

 because there seems no other way at the present time to make them 

 comparable for the different feeds. It is realized that hay and fodder 

 when fed to live stock contain an appreciable quantity of water and 

 that this necessarily means a lower percentage of the other nutrients 

 such as protein, carbohydrates, and fat. In order to be ready for 

 use in computing balanced rations, the composition of feeds should be 

 stated on the basis of their average moisture content at the time 

 they are being fed. The data now available, however, on the moist- 

 ure content of hays and fodders at the time they are removed from 

 the stacks and barns are very limited (1, 25, 26). It is impossible, 

 therefore, to estimate accurately the average percentage of moisture 

 in the different kinds of roughage as they are fed. 



Table IX. — Average composition of hay made from Sudan and other grasses and legumes 

 and of com and sorghum fodder. 



Feed.* 



Sudan grass . . . 

 Johnson grass . 



Timothy 



Millet 



Alfalfa 



Red clover 



Cowpeas 



Fodder: 



Corn 



Sorghum 



Number 



of 

 analyses. 



71 



77 



226 



40 



217 



Average constituents. 



Per cent. 

 8.6 

 7.7 

 6.2 

 8.8 

 9.7 

 7.9 

 14.3 



6.6 

 10.1 



Protein. 



Crude 

 fiber. 



Per cent. 

 10.2 

 9.0 

 7.8 

 9.8 

 17.4 

 15.6 

 19.4 



8.4 

 10.1 



Per cent. 

 29.5 

 32.6 

 32.3 

 30.1 

 29.6 

 27.7 

 22.7 



26.1 

 28.4 



Nitrogen- 

 free 

 extract. 



Per cent. 

 49.9 

 47.7 

 50.6 

 48.3 

 40.5 

 44.9 

 40.5 



56.2 

 49.4 



Ether 



extract. 



Per cent. 

 1.8 

 3.0 

 3.1 

 3.0 

 2.8 

 3.9 

 3.1 



2.7 

 2.0 



1 These analyses were supplied by the Cattle Food and Grain Investigation Laboratory, Bureau of Chem- 

 istry, United States Department of Agriculture. 



